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June 2007, Volume 3, Issue 6 |
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ummer meals are all about beating the heat. And what better way to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables!) of the warm weather than to crunch on a crisp, summer salad? This month, New Asian Cuisine has got tips and recipes galore that are guaranteed to make you eat your veggies. |
And since warm weather evenings are perfect for sipping on an ice-cold drink, this month's Amuse Bouche with Master Sommelier Alpana Singh is the perfect compliment to our homage to the garden. Sit At The Table with Heather Carlucci, owner of Lassi (a wonderland of Indian home-cooking), and discover the hot spots of our Destination, Washington D.C.
As always, we love to hear from you, our favorite foodies!
E-mail info@newasiancuisine.com with questions, comments, and other tasty tidbits.
Wendy Chan & Grace Niwa
Producers & Co-Authors
New Asian Cuisine |
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Alpana Singh has been expertly pairing and serving fine wines since she was barely old enough to legally drink. A Master Sommelier since the age of 26 (and the youngest woman member of the exclusive Court of Master Sommeliers), Singh's love of food and wine is deeply rooted in her upbringing, inspired by the inventive and zealous meals prepared by her Fiji Indian mother.
When she's not whirling around her kitchen to prepare an exotic meal or enjoying a glass of her favorite summer vintage, Singh can be found developing wine lists and cultivating palates as the Director of Wine and Spirits for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago.
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A broken leg and a chance encounter with a generous culinary student inspired renowned pastry chef Heather Carlucci to open Lassi, New York's most authentic taste of home-cooked India. Making delicious use of farm-fresh ingredients and unbridled creativity, Carlucci's ever changing menu reflects her sense of adventure and a love of rich, comforting cuisine, both sweet and savory.
"Everyone thinks everything about Indian food is spicy and full of turmeric. And it's not! Do not be afraid of new ingredients. Cooking Indian seems very intimidating to everybody because it hasn’t been in the mainstream as long. If I can walk out of pastry and into opening an Indian joint, anyone can do it." - Heather Carlucci
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| Restaurant |
Boi Vietnamese Restaurant
246 E 44th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 681-6541 |
| Grocery Stores |
Katagiri
244 E 59th Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 755-3566
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Patel Brothers
37-237, 74th Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11732
(718) 898 3445 |
Union Square Farmer's Market
16th Street and Broadway
New York, NY |
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New Asian Cuisine has partnered with Asian Restaurant News to produce this monthly column. ARN is a nationally circulated trade magazine, and will help to keep us in the know about Asian restaurant industry’s news. You can reach ARN at 1-888-727-8881 or visit them at www.a-r-n.net . |
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With the push for new and innovative Asian salads and dressings, chefs are scrambling to come up with their own special recipes to woo customers. Many ingredients are standard to Asian salads, but they each give their own special contribution of flavor or texture- may it be spicy, sweet, tangy, juicy, crunchy or chewy. Learn more about our recommended Asian salad ingredients.
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Asian salads have been creating quite a stir in the foodservice industry in recent months. The most notable mainstream example being McDonald's restaurants' success with their Asian salad, which has become the best selling menu item for the chain this summer. It is not only the salads themselves that are tempting consumers; the accompanying salad dressings with Asian influences also have their own appeal.
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How does "New Asian Cuisine" address the health benefits and appeal of salads?
SW: New Asian Cuisine addresses the health benefit and appeal of salads by featuring the New Asian Food Pyramid and showcasing lots of delicious and creative Asian style salads.
What do you think is the greatest appeal of specialty Asian salad dressings?
SW: The vibrant taste and health factors.
What innovative ingredients in Asian salads seem to be the most popular?
SW: The combinations of citrus and soy and most notably carrot, in the case of kamikaze dressing.
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What are the best-selling salads on the menu at your restaurant?
SW: The best selling salads are: Chilled Vermicelli with Grilled Shrimp Salad, Salad with Green Mango, Young Coconut, Jicama and Herbs with Nam Pla, Heirloom Tomatoes and Mango Salad, Watermelon Salad with Wild Arugala and Shaved Amnchego Cheese.
What do you think are the benefits of chefs adding salads to their menus?
SW: Salad is a must in a menu to attract almost everybody, the cost of salad is relatively low.
What type of changes have you seen in customers ordering habits that may relate to the new Asian salad craze?
SW: These days, lots of customers are very educated consumer, and extremely health conscious, they tend to order the Asian style salad because it usually contains no dairy, oil and/or egg products. |
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New Asian Cuisine features an Asian version of the USDA's new food pyramid that was created with the help of Professor Michael Pardus, Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) at The Culinary Institute of America.
The Asian Food Pyramid translates the food groups based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005, into ingredients popular in Asian cuisine. Here’s a list of recommended Asian veggies to incorporate into your own eating style. |
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Eat more dark green veggies like broccoli, spinach and other dark leafy greens; Eat more orange vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes; Eat more dry kidney beans and peas like pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils.
1680 ml by volume / 2 and 1/2 cups per day
Water Lily Plant, Water Spinach, Bok Choy, Mustard Greens, Napa Cabbage, Gai Lan, Chinese Broccoli, Lettuces, Ong Choy, Kai Choy, Spinach green and red, Cabbage, Drumstick leaf, Methi leaf, Amaranth, Green Cabbage, Broccoli, Shiso, Fiddlehead and dried fern stems, Choi Sum, Pea Shoots, Morning Glory, Chinese Kale, Coriander Leaf, Thai Basil Leaf, Thai Morning Glory Leaf, Table Salad Herbs, Ong Cai, Water Spinach, Pumpkin, Maize, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Onion, Winter Squashes, Summer Squashes, Red Bell Pepper, Beets, Tomato, Cauliflower, Paprika Peppers, Chyrsanthemum petals, Bamboo shoots, Red Chili Peppers, Hard Squashes, Soft Summer Squashes
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Pichet Ong brings a plethora of creativity and experience to the world of desserts with his innovative and delicious creations that are both appealing to the eyes and the palate. Pichet has a background in architecture, and incorporates authentic flavors of Asian ingredients into his exotic creations. For this especial issue of Asian veggies, Pichet shares his “veggie-dessert” recipe from his recent and widely acclaimed cookbook, “The Sweet Spot.” |
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"In America, avocados are almost exclusively used in savory dishes such as guacamole, salads, and sandwiches. But avocados (which are, after all, fruits) can be delicious in desserts as well. In fact, this avocado milk shake is one of the most popular drinks in Southeast Asia. Creamy and smooth with a subtle but complex sweetness, this shake makes for a healthy and filling snack. In Vietnam, where it’s called sinh to, this milkshake is sometimes blended with other fruits, made into ice cream, or shaken with iced coffee. I can’t think of a better way to eat your veg – um, fruit."
 Try Pichet's Avocado Milk Shake |
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One of the most exotic looking fruits, rambutan has a leathery exterior with long hairs and hence gets its name from the Malaysian word for hair, “rambut.” It can be greenish yellow, orange or crimson, and is usually oval in shape. It is well known for its exceptional juicy-sweet texture and subtle flavor; its large seed has an almond-like taste. Rambutan is a good source of vitamin C and calcium, and can be combined with other fruits such as papaya, mango, and kumquats for a delicious and healthy fruit salad. To store, wrap in a perforated plastic bag and refrigerate. |
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Extensively used in many Southeast Asian dishes, rau ram has long, smooth green leaves on a purple tinged stem, and is used both as a medicinal and a culinary herb. It has a lemon and coriander-cilantro aroma and is thus also known as the Vietnamese coriander. It is spicy with a bitter, peppery flavor and is best used fresh. In Vietnamese cuisine, rau ram is not normally cooked but used in salads, or eaten as a fresh herb. |
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Unlike the more common tough and woody turnips, Asian turnips are tender, sweet, and crunchy. They can be eaten raw-plain, or in a salad, and are also pickled, roasted, sautéed, or boiled in soups. The Chinese are known to cook turnips by roasting while the Japanese and Koreans pickle and boil them. When buying Asian turnips, look for ones with crisp and blemish-free greens; if you cannot find the root with greens, choose ones with smooth and firm skins. The greens are extremely high in vitamins A and C. Turnips are also high in calcium and minerals. |
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Inde Bleu
Penn Quarter,707 G Street, NW,Washington, DC 20001
(202) 333-2538
Featured as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hottest Eight Restaurants Worldwide,” IndeBleu’s unique blend of fine dining, great food and decadent service have made a huge imprint on Washington, DC’s culinary landscape. The culinary arm of Indebleu is run by Executive Chef Vikram Garg. His bold and contemporary French and Indian menu has explored an entirely new territory resulting in visually stunning, approachable, innovative and (of course!) delicious dishes accented with exotic ingredients. In addition to its gastronomic creativity, IndeBleu entertains its guests with a lavish choice of custom blended music. IndeBleu is also widely acclaimed for its warm interiors of luscious colors, a charming dining room, and a sleek lounge. |
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We all know that Washington D.C. is a hotbed of political activity. But, with a nickname like ‘Chocolate City’,
it’s no surprise that D.C. has a thriving culinary culture, too!
The growing Asian demographic, currently at 3.6%,
includes a fast-expanding Korean population right over the city limits in Virginia, where locals can enjoy the
abundant fare at a number of markets, and authentic cuisines. Overwhelmed by all of the choices? New Asian Cuisine’s cache of trusty chefs can help! |
NAC Recommended Asian Grocery Stores & Restaurants |
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Restaurants
IndeBleu
707 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 333-2538
TenPenh
1001 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 393-4500
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Grocery Stores
H Mart
8103 Lee Highway
Falls Church VA 22042
(703) 573-6300
Sampaguita Asian Store
351 Smallwood Drive
Waldorf, MD 20602
(301) 396-8441
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